collective disaster helps community with sustainable temple of holy shit

the original concept of the ‘temple of holy shit’ by collective disaster used metaphors from the milieu of religion to communicate the idea of the transformation of the secular miasma (body and bio-waste) into a holy substance (terra-preta soil) that has the ability to regenerate life. however, the local muslim community found the use of the sacred element offensive and, after public voting, the project was renamed into ‘usine du trésor noir’ (factory of the black gold). ‘it was worth sacrificing the initial concept into something that the community can more easily understand, because after all, the value of this work lies in its ability to communicate the concept of terra-preta and compost and its potentiality to create more sustainable mindsets, while, at the same time, offering a social space for the neighborhood,’ says the studio.

video courtesy of collective disaster

the initiative is largely multidisciplinary, drawing connections between the disciplines of architecture, public installations, science, and socially engaged art. apart from a compost toilet and the production facility, the design includes a playground with slides and a stage for performances. a program over the course of the summer is rendering the temple-factory a social space, where the different local social groups can meet and engage together in activities. informational workshops will be held about each of the structure’s methods, children can participate in educational games, and a round-table discussion can help the society progress by talking about sustainable infrastructure.

the produced soil is a rich and fertile man-made compost with a high carbon content. typically found in the basin of the amazon, it contains a mixture of manure and charcoal. at the beginning of the process, the liquid is separated from the solid waste in different vessels to avoid unwelcome smells. the solids are then covered with one shovel of charcoal – dust mixed with microorganisms (EM). this prolongs the lifetime of the bacteria in the mixture, helping to break down the waste faster and sealing the odors. once the containers are full, they are moved to the fermentation room, where they will sit for three months while the liquids only require one month. after this duration, they must be transported to the compost bins, where they will remain for a year. the terra-preta can be fed back in the park or to community garden in the neighborhood when all worms are gone after six to twelve months. new vegetables will grow out of of this rich compound and the loop of life will thus be closed. these concepts have led to collective disaster receiving the 2nd prize at the blue responsibility award competition.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

valentina karga

nov 06, 2014

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Carbon-Based Religion

Carl Sagan’s human connection to stardust leaves out a critical stage. We are stardust, bu only stardust transformed by life. Every time I look at an SEMs of Char, it strikes me, the perfect preservation of the base structures of life, a fractal vision, how life creates the greatest surface area with the least amount of material. The preservation of this structure, for return to the lowest order of life, seems almost a religious act. A perfect cradle to cradle recycling, biotic carbon should never be combusted and destroyed, be revered, as life is revered, for return to the cradle of terrestrial life the Soil

Reading the Japanese work on adding char in animal feed, I thought of posting the Vatican, to lobby for a re-formulation of communion wafers. Communion is what I feel when I sequester carbon in soils. This feeling lead me to compose this paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer: [Our Carbon Who Art in Heaven]

In this Carbon based religion Burning is not the consequence OF Sin, Burning is the Sin.

Religious parallels:

1) About a central figure responsible for life, carbon.

2) Stewardship; living today in a way that protects the system for posterity.

3) About something in the heavens that need to manifest on Earth

4) The Golden Rule: Account external costs so they are not done unto others.

The Terra Preta Prayer

Our Carbon who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name By kingdom come, thy will be done, IN the Earth to make it Heaven. It will give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our atmospheric trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against the Kyoto protocols And lead us not into fossil fuel temptation, but deliver us from it’s evil low as we walk through the valley of the shadow of Global Warming, I will feel no evil, your Bio-fuels and fertile microbes will comfort me, For thine is the fungal kingdom, and the microbe power, and the Sequestration Glory, For ever and ever (well at least 2000 years) AMEN

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